Rahul's tolerance talk: Cong fighting for secularism

As actor Anupam Kher led a #MarchForIndia in the capital against those returning awards in India, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Modi government and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat during a seminar in Delhi called 'No freedom without peace: Securing Nehru's legacy and India's future.

Speaking at the 'No Peace Without Freedom' conference on Jawaharlal Nehru, Rahul said, "We are here because both peace and freedom have been viciously wounded in our country. What brings us together here is our deep concern about the assault on our liberty, on our rights and democratic space. For the first time we have a fascist government at the Centre. A sense of fear is now spreading throughout India".

He further said that the stated purpose of the RSS is to 'establish a theocratic and autocratic state in India,' and that the country did not the 'mediocre thinking' of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Each Indian has his and her own unique perspective that informs and adds to India’s understanding of the world..When the RSS and BJP deny this they are not just being intolerant.They are disrespecting the power and agency of the Indian people.They are disrespecting and denying the Indian people their dignity," Rahul said.

Meanwhile, after a meeting with President Pranab Mukerjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday, Anupam Kher said that the former has conveyed to him that the Constitution must be revered at all costs and those who are returning the awards must remember that it had been bestowed upon them by the people of the nation, not the government.

"As far as the Award Wapsi is concerned the President said that these awards were not given by the government, instead, it was given by the people of the country," Kher said.